My very strange experience at SS office....(sounds like a Halloween story)

Hi all thought I would share my first experience at the SS office. I got a call to please take my birth certificate to the SS office so they could make a copy. (I literally ran it down just to get the ball rolling) ok picture this ... I walk in ....it's a small room with three rows of 4 chairs and an office window behind glass. There's a sign on the door that says 'no guns or knives permitted' (no worry for me)..I walk in, I have to punch into a machine one of four reasons why I might be there. As I am using the machine a very husky voice from a very husky lady in uniform behind the window asks if I am carrying a gun or knife. I respond NO. She says 'hand over your purse' ... I say ok I hope I have nothing... she say's "please explain" I say I might have a nail file ... she say's "not a problem" ... ok skip over now ... I am sitting waiting my turn....two men walk in... she asks him the same questions........the one with a pony tail to his butt and tattoo's down both arms responds... "well I live in a halfway house and just did 6 years in prison so if you would have asked me 6 years ago I would have had guns and knives !!" ....well guess where he sits ??... yep right next to me... he is holding a stack of papers.... he feels the urge to talk to me ... he says.... " yea my SSI application has been stopped because since I've been in the halfway house I seemed to have acquired a warrant and I am on the wanted list".... he continues ... "the only thing I got since prison was one speeding ticket so that must be what they want me for because I can't seem to REMEMBER another crime I might be wanted for"..... I try to just nod... he goes to smoke...sits back down ... speaks..."yea before I went to prison I did whiskey and when I did that guns always appeared in my hands'..... finally they call my name... I explain to the lady helping me that her next client is very interresting... I tell her what I witnessed.. she goes ...'oh that is not unusual many times I have to retain a person here til the police arrive because they are on the wanted list"....... Sorry, I know this is long. I am just furious !! I know many of you are desperately trying to win your cases for SS and are worthy of it. I myself have fought so hard to receive my benefits. Then there are those that are not in need but are just trying to fool the system. That is why it is so hard for those of us that truely deserve it. I guess I know now why we must wait so long, they have to weed out so many....... next time I go to the SS office my purse will stay in the car and I will bring my husband and maybe my two adult sons !!!.....take care all,

Re: My very strange experience at SS office....(sounds like a Halloween story)

Sounds like a similar experience that happened where I worked. I had a state job and our office just happened to be in a bank building, well that there should tell a person not to bring a gun inside a bank building as that is a Federal crime. Anyway the SSA office was on a floor below us and we frequently had to check with them to verify benefits on some of our own patrons. Well, there was all this commotion going on and as we were allowed to take our breaks outdoors, I had walked down to a picnic table outdoors and all of a sudden I see the SSA guard and a bank guard aiding a man out of the building at the same time a couple of police cars drove up.

Yep, a man went to Social Security office with his gun to apply for benefits. Well, I was very careful of who I spoke to and not going alone to take a break outdoors from that moment on. I know the office where I worked was one that we had to take precautions as sometimes our clients would get a little hot under the collar if things did not go their way. (Stressful) We had a direct link to the Sheriff's office by way of a panic button, if we needed their assistance at any time. I was glad they were only a mile up the road from us that day.

Also for many years I worked for a Sheriff's Department and we issued pistol permits to the citizens of our county. A lot of people would bring them in for us to gather the serial number and make and caliber to put on the permit. One day this little old lady came in and she pulls out this huge pistol that had belonged to her husband out of a paper bag. When all of a sudden she pulls the hammer back (we assumed)to retrieve the number. We asked if the gun was loaded and she said yes. Well anyway we had to hold our hand across the hammer to keep the gun from firing until we could reach someone who could safely remedy the situation. It was several minutes we had to wait for a deputy to come and unload the gun. Some people just shouldn't be allowed to even handle one if they don't know what they are doing.

It is a shame that people don't realize the laws, as one should never take inside any government building, anywhere that alcoholic beverages are sold for on premises consumption and defintitely not in a bank building or a Social Security office. I don't blame you for wanting an escort. I would too if I had one available.